Matthew Roth

More headlines over at Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Throughout San Francisco's history, from the early street grid to the more recent expansion of freeways, slivers of land that don't fit into the master plans of architects and designers have been cast aside, lumped into a category the Department of Public Works (DPW) refers to as "unaccepted streets." These "paper streets" are mapped but not maintained by any agency. As Chris Carlsson so beautifully chronicled in his Ghost Streets tour, many of these alleys and street stubs are cared for by neighbors and transformed into small gardens or pocket parks.  Many more, however, are forgotten urban scars and latent public space.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors, in their role as commissioners of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (TA), voted unanimously to approve the TA's enormous on-street parking management study and authorized revisions to pilot Market Street pedestrian and bicycle safety zones.

While San Francisco Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Ed Reiskin has quietly pushed behind-the-scenes to accelerate Pavement to Parks plazas, the recently announced Market Street trial changes, and other visible projects that reclaim street space for green space and people, some advocates are concerned with how well his agency is coordinating around an arcane, but important process: DPW's five-year repaving plan.

Though much of the media reaction to Mayor Gavin Newsom's Better Market Street Project is narrowly focusing on the traffic impacts of mandatory right-turns at two intersections on Market, the trial project will attempt to do much more to improve the public realm and public perception of San Francisco's most iconic street.

When Joshua David formed Friends of the High Line in 1999 and started raising money to transform abandoned train tracks in mid-Manhattan into an elevated urban park, more than a few people thought him nuts. With the opening of the High Line in June and the warm reception it has received by the public, however, planners who have their eyes on other abandoned rail infrastructure are feeling emboldened and hopeful their projects will receive more serious consideration, including a new proposal to preserve the existing east span of the Bay Bridge for a park and development.

If you've ever tried to organize a block party, a parade, or a farmers market, or you're planning your next party in the middle of the street, you need to know Cindy Shamban. Shamban is the MTA's staff administrator for the Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation, or ISCOTT, the intersection of every city agency that might be interested in or concerned by an event that necessitates the disruption of routine automobile traffic in San Francisco. 

We're very happy to announce that all you brilliant and dedicated Streetsblog readers can now take your favorite blog with you almost anywhere, even when your service is a bit dodgier than you'd prefer.  Introducing the beta Streetsblog Mobile for your handheld, a stripped down version of the blog for your phone's browser, one we hope facilitates reading while you're on BART or in that droning client meeting and you just have to keep up on that comment thread about personal rapid transit.

San Francisco designer Lisa Marie Grillos has been on an unexpected journey since she lost her job as a production manager at Williams Sonoma this January, one which took her from frustration and dismay scouring Craigslist and other job sites to having her face splashed across the business page of the New York Times.

Thanks to all of you wonderful photographers who tag your photos and videos in our Flickr pool. Because you rock so hard, we wanted to highlight your work in a weekly Eyes on the Street feature. Be sure to send us more and we might see you on the blog!